Romance, Anime, and 20TH CENTURY BOYS 2 in San Francisco Source: VIZ Media, MediaLab press releases Official Site: NewPeopleWorld.com Special Thanks to Evelyn Dubocq and Erik Jansen February is the month of love and VIZ Cinema, the nation’s first and only movie theatre dedicated to Japanese film, sweetens this theme with a pair of captivating love stories by director Isshin Inudo, presented in association with Asmik Ace Entertainment. Don’t miss the chance to attend the West Coast premieres of these heartwarming cinematic masterpieces. How far would you go in the name of LOVE? VIZ Cinema is privileged to present director Inudo’s JOSEE, THE TIGER AND THE FISH, screening February 5th –18th; and LA MAISON DE HIMIKO, showing February 18th – March 4th. To celebrate the spirit of Valentine’s Day for the entire month of February, filmgoers who also bring a date (or a friend) will receive a special 50% discount on the second person’s admission. Anime fans can also look forward to a special double-feature encore showing of GURREN LAGANN: THE MOVIE 1 & 2 – for one night only – on Sunday February 21st at 5:00pm and 7:30pm respectively. VIZ Cinema will offer special combo tickets for $15.00 to attend both showings. VIZ Cinema will also host a one night only DVD Release Screening of 20TH CENTURY BOYS 2: THE LAST HOPE on Tuesday, February 9th. Preview trailers and screening times for all films are available at vizcinema.com.
ISSHIN INUDO
Isshin Inudo first gained fame as an innovative director of television commercials. But he started garnering international accolades with his first feature film, TWO, TALKING (1994), which won the Grand Prix award at the Sundance Film Festival in Tokyo and the Best New Director award from the Japanese Film Director’s Association.
JOSEE, THE TIGER AND THE FISH (Joze to Tora to Sakana Tachi, 2003) February 5th – February 18th REGIONAL PREMIERE (Digital, 116min, With English Subtitles, Directed by Isshin Inudo, Cast: Satoshi Tsumabuki, Chizuru Ikewaki) Love blooms between two unlikely people when college student Tsuneo meets Kumiko, aka “Josee,” a young woman who embraces life with a feisty personality, despite cerebral palsy and her need for a baby buggy for transport. Isshin Inudo deftly adapts author Seiko Tanabe’s short story into a poignant feature film that was a genuine crowd pleaser and won numerous awards including a Best New Director Award from The Japanese Minister of Education. JOSEE, THE TIGER AND THE FISH takes a place alongside memorable films such as BENNY & JOON, WHAT`S EATING GILBERT GRAPE and RORY O`SHEA WAS HERE and captures the resilience of the human spirit in the face of physical handicaps and shows how love can flourish with pride and self-determination. LA MAISON DE HIMIKO (Mezon do Himiko, 2005) February 18th – March 4th REGIONAL PREMIERE (120min, With English Subtitles, Directed by Norihiro Koizumi, Cast: YUI, Takashi Tsukamoto)
Family secrets, redemption, and the power of love to renew family bonds are explored between a father and daughter who can’t understand each other and a man and a woman who can’t love each other. Their odd and beautiful stories are brought to life by director Inudo against a backdrop of a colorful homosexual retirement home. Teenage Saori despises her father, who chose to leave her mother to live a new life out of the closet. But family ties are recalled as she learns of her father’s terminal cancer; and her curiosity is piqued by a beautiful and mysterious young man who delivers the message and claims to be her father’s lover. La Maison De Himiko explores homosexuality in Japan and also how people affirm or deny the stereotypes society imposes and how they embrace their decisions and individuality, and love’s ultimate power to redeem.
GURREN LAGANN: THE MOVIE 1 & 2 Special Event
GURREN LAGANN: THE MOVIE ~ CHILDHOOD`S END (Tengen Toppa Gurren Lagann: Gurren-hen, 2008) Sunday, February 21st 5:00pm (113min., With English Subtitles, Directed by Hiroyuki Imaishi) Based on the hit animated television series, this sci-fi feature takes place in a fictional future in which human beings have been forced to live in closed-off underground villages. Kamina and Simon are constrained by the limits imposed by the village elder. Yet, all this will change when Simon stumbles across a fantastic mechanized device – just as the village’s peace is broken by a violent intrusion. GURREN LAGANN: THE MOVIE ~ THE LIGHTS IN THE SKY ARE STARS (Tengen Toppa Gurren Lagann: Lagann-hen, 2009) Sunday, February 21st 7:30pm (130 min., With English Subtitles, Directed by Hiroyuki Imaishi)
Overcoming the loss of loved ones, Simon survived mortal combat with the Beastmen leader Lordgenome. Seven years later, humans have returned to the surface to build a flourishing civilization. But, the peaceful times don’t last forever as humans begin developing beyond their world into outer space and encounter an unknown enemy.
DVD Release Special!
20TH CENTURY BOYS 2: THE LAST HOPE (20-Seiki Shonen: Dai 2 Sho- Saigo no Kibo, 2009) Tuesday, February 9th 7:30pm - FOR ONE NIGHT ONLY! (35mm, 140min, With English Subtitles, Directed by Yukihiko Tsutsumi, Cast: Toshiaki Karasawa, Takako Tokiwa, Etsuji Toyokawa) Don’t miss the exclusive event preceding the long-awaited DVD release of 20TH CENTURY BOYS 2! It is now 2015, and Friend rules a disturbing new world. Kenji’s niece Kanna is now in high school and her textbook contains a fabricated story about Kenji being the terrorist behind the horrific events of 2000. Kanna, knowing the truth, openly resents this, and as a result she is marked as a problem child and sent to Friend Land, a facility where people with rebellious anti-Friend behavior are re-educated. There Kanna learns a crucial secret about Friend… The event ticket is $10 only for the screening, or $25.00 for a movie ticket, the brand new DVD, a poster, and a pin!
About NEW PEOPLE
NEW PEOPLE offers the latest films, art, fashion and retail brands from Japan and is the creative vision of the J-Pop Center Project and VIZ Pictures, a distributor and producer of Japanese live action film. Located at 1746 Post Street, San Francisco, CA 94115, the 20,000 square foot structure features a striking 3-floor transparent glass façade that frames a fun and exotic new environment to engage the imagination into the 21st Century. A dedicated web site is also now available at NewPeopleWorld.com.
About VIZ Cinema
VIZ Cinema is the nation’s first movie theatre devoted exclusively to Japanese film and anime. The 143-seat subterranean theatre is located in the basement of the NEW PEOPLE building and features plush seating, digital as well as 35mm projection, and a THX-certified sound system.